


Love is not a thing

by queenofmne



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23527669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofmne/pseuds/queenofmne
Summary: When their exes come to their favorite bar, Bellamy and Clarke have to pretend they're in a relationship.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 150





	Love is not a thing

**Author's Note:**

> I think we need something to cheer us up during these hard times! Stay home, stay safe! Love you guys!

It was one of those quiet nights in the bar, when the group just takes a couple of beers and kind of enjoys a lazy Sunday. Clarke and Bellamy were grateful for the change in the group dynamic because the last week was practically hell for both of them. Of course, they had Octavia to thank for the sudden peaceful atmosphere…

She knew how hard her brother had worked because the dean was visiting the History department and Bellamy was hoping for a promotion. Also, there was Clarke who unfortunately lost two people in the last three days in the ER. So, Octavia wordlessly promised them a nice, relaxing night - and she would damn well deliver.

They were in their usual secluded booth, just like always, and it wasn’t even eleven o’clock, so, that meant nobody was thankfully drunk yet. Octavia was leaning on Lincoln’s side and listening to Jasper ramble about that cute new girl Maya who started working at their local Starbucks. Miller and Eric were extremely busy smiling shyly at each other as their friendship was slowly burning into a relation. Finally, there was Raven enjoying her beer while sitting in Roan’s lap while he was busy biting her shoulder playfully.

Clarke and Bellamy, on the other hand, were in the middle of a full on ‘discussion’ about Zeus and all his lovers. Even though they weren’t loud, their discussions usually looked like a fight to outsiders. It was a heated debate that got them both on the edge of their seats, waving hands and invading a whole lot of personal space. To Octavia and the rest of the group it actually looked like some kind of a kinky foreplay with a thick layer of sexual tension that never led anywhere. Not yet, at least.

The night was going well, for Octavia’s standards anyway. They were having just the right amount of fun, but were also relaxed and comfortable. By now, their favorite bar became like a second home for all of them. They have been going there for three years now and even though some boyfriends/girlfriends were coming and going, the group always stuck together no matter what. So, seeing _them_ at their usual hang out place took Octavia a little by surprise.

Finn was Clarke and Raven’s ex boyfriend who cheated on both of them with each other, and the poor girls didn’t even know. It went on for a year, but then Raven caught Finn with Clarke one night, right in this very same bar… However, the girls ditched the lying scumbag and became best friends. That’s actually how the mechanic became a part of their silly group in the first place and even though everyone absolutely _hated_ Finn for what he had done, they were also secretly kind of glad because that brought Raven into their little family now. Even Clarke admitted so.

And of course, there was Echo. The one person Octavia hated just about as much as she hater Finn. Echo was her brother’s ex who always hated how close the siblings were. Octavia and Bellamy were inseparable since childhood, but Echo was never able to understand that. She’d always look at Octavia like she didn’t belong with the two of them, but actually, Echo was the outsider there. Bellamy even told her that himself when she caused a big fight about him ditching her birthday to go help out a very sick Octavia. After putting Echo in her place, Bellamy left her for good.Even though at the time he did have some feelings for this girl, Octavia was always going to be his number one and from then on he promised himself to completely avoid women who didn’t understand that.

Octavia was still gaping at the sight and very soon Lincoln caught on, signaling the others. Finn and Echo were holding hands while walking through the bar and greeting old friends while a shiny diamond was glowing on her finger. Thankfully, Bellamy and Clarke were still too busy with their hot little banter that they didn’t notice the pair slowly making their way to the group’s table. Raven exhaled shakily, her anger almost getting the best of her, but thankfully Roan wouldn’t let her out of his strong embrace.

“Hey guys!” Finn said way too cheerfully for a Sunday night. He was flashing one of his most charming smiles that they used to eat up like glitter shit, but now it seemed like it was just another fake thing about him.The group turned to glare at him without really sparing him a word. He didn’t deserve it - even this was too much for a scumbag like him.

If the pair noticed their lack of hospitality, neither had mentioned it. Finn and Echo both kept smiling just like old times, as if there was no beef between them whatsoever. That kind of behavior made everyone in the group even more upset. Well, everyone except Clarke and Bellamy. They were somehow still engrossed in their conversation, completely unaware that there were any unwanted guests.

“I can’t believe that you two still fight like cats and dogs.” Echo said a bit louder. Noticing Bellamy ignored her presence, she wanted them to give her some attention.

That comment finally made Clarke and Bellamy turn their heads towards the intruders. Just like the rest of the group their first emotion was pure shock. Neither could believe that these two had the audacity to come back here, not after all the shit they have done. Very obviously, in their eyes there was pure disgust. Not hatred, because neither Finn nor Echo were actually worth it, but just disgust for the type of people they turned out to be.

“Oh you know how these lovebirds are, fighting just turns these two on.” Octavia was quick on her toes. She didn’t want to give these horrible people the feeling like they’ve won.

Although it was pretty obvious Bellamy and Clarke almost choked on air when they heard what had left Octavia’s mouth, neither said anything to deny it. The rest of the group caught onto her plan immediately and Octavia just knew they’d go with it. Lying was dumb, she knew that, but somehow Octavia had the feeling Finn and Echo would just gloat over their happiness and the other couple’s ‘misery’. They were just the kind of people who’d want you to believe their life was perfect and that yours was never going to be as good. Octavia hated those people.

“Oh well that’s fantastic! We’re both really happy for you! We didn’t want this to be awkward, but it wouldn’t have been nice for us to be in town and not say hello. Fortunately, everything turned out for the best.” Echo said sweetly, but her expression was still giving off some annoyance - she didn’t like that Bellamy had moved on.

Bellamy immediately picked up on it, since he knew her best. And yeah, he was usually a pretty decent guy, but hey, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to get back at her. It wasn’t for himself, but for the shit Octavia had to put up with when he was with Echo. And for Clarke too, so that smug asshole Finn wouldn’t win. So, he did the only logical thing he could think of.

“Well Echo, we’re really glad you decided to come see us. It’s great there are no hard feelings here.” Bellamy threw them his ‘PTA meeting’ smile constructed of pure sarcasm and he lightly put his hand around Clarke’s shoulders kissing her temple.

At first he thought he’d crossed a line, a very, very thin line that was holding their friendship, but when Clarke just let out a happy sigh and leaned more into him he knew it was the right call. Especially when he saw Echo and Finn’s expressions. For two people who were at each other’s throats for quite some time they really knew how to sell it good.

“So you guys wouldn’t mind us joining you for the night?” Finn asked hopefully and Clarke reassured him with a bright, albeit fake smile.

It was decided then that Clarke and Bellamy would have to pretend to be in love for the whole night. Not that it would be hard for them to fake such an obvious truth…

The only thing that was calming Clarke down for the past two hours was the constant touch and warmth of Bellamy’s body beside her. To say that she was annoyed, or angry would be the understatement of the year.

Okay, she probably could’ve handled Finn and Echo for one night individually, but now, as a happily engaged couple, they were even more obnoxious than she remembered.

Thankfully, by her side she had one of the people who knew her best. Bellamy could sense every time the conversation had gone too far or when it was all just a little bit too much for her to handle. And just in the right moments he would squeeze her side or kiss her shoulder.

Those were very intimate gestures as seen from the rest of the group, but since the unwanted guests had no idea it was all an act, for them it wasn’t strange to see at all. At times even Clarke had to remind herself it was all pretend, that Bellamy was just her friend. And the fact that he was there to keep her away from Finn’s bullshit all night, even though he had Echo to worry about, just added to her appreciation of his selfless friendship. Nothing else was going on there, she told herself firmly, even though she secretly wanted to believe she was wrong.

“Oh God babe, we’ve been talking way too much about ourselves! So rude of us! Clarke, why don’t you tell us how you and Bell got together?” Echo finally remembered her relationship with Finn wasn’t the center of the universe, but she did have an ulterior motive for asking that question.

“Yes Echo, finally a good idea coming from you! Clarke, you should really tell them how you and my bro ended up together.” Octavia sported her usual dose of sarcasm and hatred towards her brother’s ex, but was amused by the situation her best friend was now in.

Clarke turned around the room to look for support from her friends. Instead, she was met with smug smirks that reminded her how much the group actually wanted her and Bellamy together. At one point they even sent them on a blind date with each other which was utterly embarrassing, but others found it so sweet that even Roan joined the shippers club. And just like that, her friends gave her a good idea what to talk about.

“Well, I’m sure you remember how, even though we were with other people, our friends always wanted to hook me and Bellamy up. Yeah, so, Raven was the real guilty person on my part and I guess it was Octavia who finally got Bellamy. Anyway, Raven came to me one day with a story of a great guy, ‘a brother of her friend’ and that he and I would be really great together… She bugged me for about two days to give him a chance and go on a blind date with him and, as you guys know Raven, I had to cave in the end or she would have literally dragged me there. So, Friday came and we had a dinner reservation in that one French restaurant I wanted to go to even when I was with Finn, but never actually got around to do it. I went to get my hair done, pulled out my favorite black dress and was actually pretty excited about the date…I don’t know, but something about how happy Raven was about it and how highly she talked about the guy made me want to meet him even more. I walked into the restaurant and told them Raven’s name because the reservation was made by her and then the waiter guided me to the back of the restaurant where the most expensive reservations were and… much to my surprise… the guy waiting for me there was no other than Bellamy. Of course both of us were confused and shocked at first because neither was expecting this kind of a turn. But, we continued with our dinner anyway - it was still one of the best restaurants in the city and apparently Octavia and Raven already paid for our dinner. We were on good terms at that point and agreed that it was more than okay to have a friendly meal, no harm, right? So, the night went on and I honestly have to say that I had more fun in those couple of hours than, I don’t know, maybe even in the last couple of months to be honest… In the end I guess neither one of us wanted the night to end, so when Bellamy walked me to my apartment I just kinda asked him to stay. From then on we started dating and, um… well, here we are.” Clarke finished the little fairy tale with a slight blush on her cheeks.

90% percent of the story was true, except that she didn’t ever admit to anyone that she enjoyed her dinner with Bellamy that much and, of course, when Bellamy got to her front door he only kissed her cheek goodnight and went home. She wanted to ask him to stay, oh boy did she, but it was all so confusing at the time and it wasn’t in anyone’s interest for them to ruin that small amount of friendship they somehow managed to build. It hurt to spend that night alone in her huge apartment, but there was no way of telling if he felt the same… Clarke was a woman who had learnt to appreciate everything she could get, even if it was just a friendly kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, I remember how Octavia and Raven were proud of themselves the next few days. They wouldn’t shut up about it!” Miller teased the girls, trying to ease the new wave of tension that surrounded Bellamy and Clarke’s shared look.

Echo and Finn joined the group for a laugh on the girls’ account, but neither Clarke nor Bellamy seemed to react to anything that was said. They kept staring at each other, no, more like gazing. Like those lovers on soap operas do… Bellamy was surprised by Clarke’s story and how much of it was actually true. He also had fun that night and, truth be told, it was the best date he’s ever been on. Not that he’d tell her that anyway…

The fact that she mentioned asking him to stay the night stirred some emotions in Bellamy that he was trying extremely hard to burry. He thought about it for a really long time. How maybe things would have ended up differently if he just had the guts to kiss her goodnight properly. Maybe she would have invited him over if she knew how he felt about them… You see, he wasn’t blind. He could tell that she enjoyed herself that night just about as much as he did… and maybe if he had tried… just maybe she would’ve let him kiss her.

“Aww guys! I always love hearing that story, you know!”, Jasper cut in. “Oh you don’t have to be shy in front of us! Bell you can kiss your girl as much as you want!” It was a discreet challenge Jasper was putting out for them. If they really were all in on this charade, they’d have to kiss for real.

Bellamy sighed in annoyance, he knew it was bound to happen at one point throughout the night, he just didn’t want to think about it until it was time. And the time was apparently now. He looked down at Clarke to see she was already looking back at him - in her eyes he saw understanding as if she wanted to say he always had an out if he was too uncomfortable. But, if she wasn’t quitting, neither was he. The look in his eyes let her know he wasn’t going to chicken out. If she didn’t want to kiss him, if she was too scared, she’d have to say it herself.

He was daring her to do it. And Clarke Griffin never backed down from a dare.

Without much thought she put one of her arms around his neck and slightly tipped her head to him so that she could finally put her lips against his. It was done so naturally and without hesitation that it was hard to believe even for the two of them that they haven’t done this before. The kiss itself was lazy, like one shared between two old lovers when they’re sprawled on the couch on a Monday after work, watching Gilmore Girls and digging around for any missing popcorn. It was familiar and sweet, like coming home to your best friend. Which they were actually, over the years and a lot of different shit, Bellamy easily became one of Clarke’s best friends and those feelings were pleasingly mutual as far as they knew.

But, what they didn’t know is that their romantic feelings towards each other were also reciprocated. Dating longer than Finn, longer than Echo. When these two first met, it was through Octavia. She introduced them as her friend and her brother. That’s why, even though there was immediate chemistry between them, Bellamy and Clarke decided to put it away and both had tried unsuccessfully to forget about each other. It’s actually the reason they fought so much at first - neither could handle their growing feelings properly and damn, was that frustrating. So, they took every single distraction they could find - Finn, Lexa, Niylah, Roma, Gina, Echo…

They weren’t even subtle about it, it was noticeable to everyone. Even Finn and Echo weren’t that surprised to see them together. Yes, the pair fought a lot, but their connection was always so obvious. You see, whenever Bellamy picked a fight with Clarke she would release all her frustration in the bedroom with Finn. And that one time Echo dyed her hair blonde for a couple of months, Bellamy practically turned into a starving animal 24/7.

Yeah, it was pretty obvious to everyone except the two idiots. But, now, after they let go, it was going to be hard to pretend like there wasn’t something between them. Still, the question lingered – was that worth exploring? Let’s be real, the two of them weren’t really sunshines - they had fights and bad days, even though they cared for each other. But would they work as a couple?

Bellamy broke away from the kiss first. He just had to look her in the eyes, see if he wasn’t alone in this. And then, Clarke just pulled him back to her mouth, raw and needy and honestly, he didn’t really need that much more confirmation.

All those uncertainties they both felt didn’t matter. Finn and Echo didn’t matter. The fact that everyone was watching (and some were secretly cheering them on) didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore, except for that sweet sensation of warmth coming from inside their chest and through their lips all the way to the other one’s heart. It’s called love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! #stayhome xx -T


End file.
